Finding meaning in a complex world.

Mystery Blogger Award (2)

Thank you dear Amira for having nominated me for the “Mystery Blogger Award”.

Amira’s blog Bodyandsoulnourishmentblog is an amazing collection of inspirational poems, quotes and stories that provide nourishment for the body and soul! If you have not seen this blog, please be sure to take a look! Also, you can find her own nomination for this award here.

WHAT IS MYSTERY BLOGGER AWARD?

The “Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion. – Okoto Enigma

Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)

Share a link to your best post(s)

THREE THINGS ABOUT MYSELF:

I am deeply metaphysical and philosophical and have been this way almost from birth.

I struggle with overcoming the need to control – though I believe I have gotten significantly better at this as I have aged. Having been “the middle child”, I always felt responsible for everything being right. As such, I’ve learned the hard way that such a perspective is not healthy for me or anyone else. Allowing life to unfold in the way that it must, rather than in the way that I want it to, is very, very hard.

I have a special love for Birman cats!.

MY ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FROM AMIRA:

What do you think is the most important force in the Universe? and why?

Wow! What a great question! I’m not sure I can answer this adequately, though, because we only know the universe from the limited human perspective. In one respect, I would say it is love. In another, I would say it is light. In yet another, I would say it is energy or vibration. But having said all this, I also believe that they are all manifestations of the same thing. And I also believe that God experiences itself through its many manifestations within the universe, which would mean, for me, that all forces are equally important. So, I don’t have a good answer for this.

What is one of the greatest lessons you ever learned?

I would say that one of the greatest lessons I have learned is that we never know everything. In other words, what we believe we are seeing and judging with our own eyes and experiences, is incomplete, and as a result, we can mistakenly make bad assumptions and poor choices because we never have the full picture. There are so many factors that go into the reason for the actions people take as they move through life, and none of us ever has a full appreciation or understanding of that complexity. I find, now, that it is harder for me to see things in pure black and white, or evil and good. And that has made my life and thought processes much more complicated and uncertain.

If you could give one piece of advice to others that you learned through your life’s journey, what would that be?

I would have to say that it is very important to never stop learning all you can about everything – don’t shut out information and experience. And in particular, give the most attention to the things that push buttons for you, because there is much to learn there.

What helps you to overcome difficult challenges in life?

I have a deep faith and trust in the idea that everything is interconnected.

If you could chose only one place that you feel at total peace, which place would that be?

My answer to this will seem a bit odd. I had something similar to a “near-death” experience when I was about 19 years old and in college (though I am not sure why I had this experience – it happened in the middle of the day in my dorm room). It is the only time in my life that I have felt totally and completely at peace! I was so peaceful and so free from all material attachment, including my body, that I actually and consciously believed I was dead while I was having the experience. So, my strange answer to this question would be that the place in which I feel total peace is not necessarily here in physical form. However, the experience did ground me at an early age never to fear death, and to ensure that our lives have meaning in the time gifted to us, because we are here for a special reason – having left a place of complete peace and freedom to “experience” life as it is here on earth.

I AM HONORED TO NOMINATE THE FOLLOWING FOR THIS AWARD:

(Note: Participation is entirely voluntary – it is completely your choice! 😊 I simply want to take advantage of an opportunity to give your blog the additional exposure it is deserving of!)

Congratulations for your nomination Anita. And I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the three things about you and your answers to Amira’s questions, most especially about your Spiritual experience – wonderful!

Thank you for nominating me for another award, it is greatly appreciated and an honour that you consider me worthy. But, as before, I do not consider myself up for the challenge as I am so new here. Thank you again.
Love, Light & Blessings
Trina

Many happy returns of the day, my friend!
Thanks, dear Anita for having shared part of your insight.
Your answers were profound and of great experience. Thanks, for sharing your thoughts 🙂
All good wishes
Didi

Dear Anita:
I am sorry I took so long to reply, but i wanted to have the time that this beautiful post deserves.
I truly enjoyed it and you have so much wisdom to share dear friend!
(I have been looking at the pictures of Birman cats by the way, and they are adorable!!!!)

You had great answers! Indeed, for the first question I would have thought maybe Love, but then as I was reading, it makes so much sense… it’s ALL THAT IS! what a profound thought!
Sometimes i feel that “the more we know, the less we know”…. which leads me to your second answer.
I also see things in gray tones now , no more black and white… everything always has 2 sides of the story, there are always different perspectives of the same thing or event. I fully agree with you on this as well. I think that the uncertainty of which you speak, is a good kind of uncertainty, it’s a notion to be open to all possibilities… like the Buddhist story “Maybe, or Maybe not”… (I have a post on this: https://amiracarluccio.com/2016/06/12/zen-budhist-story-maybe-somaybe-not/)
There is wisdom in non-judgement!

Yes, I was thinking about this topic when I read Kamal’s story of “the empty boat”… If something pushes your buttons, we should look inside…

Finally, thank you for sharing your spiritual experience! It’s an amazing one! It set you free from the fear of death at such an early age. How fortunate to have learned this perspective so young!

I enjoyed your post immensely and thank you for taking the time to participate and share your views. I love having the opportunities to have this kind of dialogues among friends 🙂
Sending love and light your way,
Amira 🙂 ❤

Thank you so much for all your very kind words, Amira, and thank you for your deep questions in the award nomination! They got me thinking! 🙂 My life has been blessed with many kinds of experiences, many of which I have yet to fully understand, but you, dear friend, and my other dear friends I have made here in the blogosphere, have encouraged me to open up more and explore them further. Thank you for that!

With regards to Birmans – they are extremely adorable! I have had 3 of them as companions, but only one of them is left now (he is 17 years old). They are fluffy with fur that feels like rabbit fur and markings that look Siamese. They have deep blue eyes, and white paws, they purr constantly, and they love to be held like a baby (very uncommon for cats)! I can’t speak highly enough of them! 🙂

Thank you for the link to your post “Maybe or Maybe Not”! That was really very good! It does show how we never know what the intended outcome of something may be! Gifts are often unseen or unrecognized until we can look back on them. Great post! You are right that there is wisdom in non-judgement – though I confess, I still have my struggles with judgement! 🙂

And I agree with you: “the more we know, the less we know”! I’ve certainly come to understand that so many times! I remember the first time I realized that, I became discouraged. But then, it got me to a place where I realized that it meant there was so much to explore – one could never be bored in life!

Thank you, again, Amira, for your comments and for the award nomination! Love and Light to you! ❤

Oh I agree, the immediate response of our ego is to judge, label and provide a critic for everything. It’s a constant work to let go of the ego, and allow what is. Knowing how little we know, is humbling, and that is a good place to be, open in a child-like receptive sense of wonderment and curiosity.
It brings me great joy to have these dialogues here, so we can exchange our thoughts and experiences and continue to learn as we go on.
Thank you dear Anita for sharing your experiences and insights.
Much love and gratitude,
Amira
When I am due for a new pet, I will definitely look into these adorable cats! ❤
Amira